


How To Mend a Broken Heart

by ladyxgreywolf



Series: How To Mend a Broken Heart [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: 10 years after Bella's transformation, Complete, F/M, no renesmee, post-Esme's death (AU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 16:16:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4107175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyxgreywolf/pseuds/ladyxgreywolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Esme is killed by a vampire and a grieving Carlisle moves his family to Dartmouth, the UK. When someone moves into the neighboring house the Cullens find themselves once again tangled up with humans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Old story, grammar's not the best. Will edit once I have time!
> 
> (and yes; the chapters are really short)

Ashley Tyler looked out through the car’s window. Green hills were everywhere, with a grey cloud-roof above. So this was Dartmouth during autumn. Not too different from London, except it was a lot freer around here. A lot more time to relax and breathe.

     “Here we are, then”, her father said and stopped in front of her new house. It was small and quite far away from town itself. Just as she wanted it – she was tired of the town after 17 years in London.

     Her father couldn’t understand why she chose to go here, to live here, far from exciting London. He just didn’t know how she felt about town. It was just too… crowded.

     “You’re still sure about this?” he said as he took out her bags from the back of the car.

     “Yes, dad, for the millionth time!” Ashley sighed. “This is where I will be staying for the years coming.”

     Her father rolled her eyes and then carried the bags into the house. There were a lot of boxes in there with her new furniture. Her father had paid for most of it – to her frustration. She wanted to be a normal person, not someone who always got money from her rich father.

     “There you are, then”, he said and put the bags down. “Sure you’ll be alright?”

     “Yes”, Ashley sighed. “Go now, dad, I know you have a meeting tomorrow. You can’t stay any longer if you want to get some sleep.”

     Her father nodded, then gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead before he walked back outside. He waved as he drove away.

     And then she was alone.

     She sighed in relief and went back inside, looked through her bags until she found a cup and a tea-bag, along with a pot to boil water in. When the tea was done, she went back outside and sat down on the stairs. There was still no sun, but she didn’t bother. She just needed to feel that she was actually alone.

     She took a sip of her tea and then looked at her surroundings. There was another, quite big house at the end of the road. She could only see the roof of it, hidden among the trees. Tomorrow she would have to go and say hello to her new neighbours.

     A sudden movement among the trees made her freeze. Was someone there?

     “Hello?” she called. She couldn’t hear anything, but she was sure she’d seen something. She slowly rose and walked back inside, putting away the half-empty cup and putting on a jacket. Then she walked back out, locked the house and walked down the lane. She could just as well say hello to her neighbours while she investigated whatever it was that was hiding from her.

     There was no movement among the trees when she came to the place where she thought she’d seen someone. She walked further in to take a closer look and those few steps also brought her closer to the other house. It was even larger than she’d thought before, white with big windows and several cars parked outside. She saw people moving inside the house, girls and boys of her own age. She was unable to see what they were doing, except for walking around, but she guessed they were preparing dinner.

     When she looked up on the second floor, she noticed someone standing in one of the windows. A tall man in his 20s, she guessed, with honey-blond hair, and he was looking down at her. At least, she thought he was looking at her, but he might just as well be looking at the forest. Then, slowly he walked away.

     She shivered, even though it wasn’t colder than before. There was something about that man, the feeling he had shown when standing there – grief.

     Maybe today wasn’t a good day to visit, she thought, and walked back to her new home. There she made a sandwich and brought it with her to her new bed, that the old owner had put up for her. She pulled off her clothes, put on her pyjamas and crept down beneath the sheets, ignoring the fact that it was just late afternoon.

* * *

“She must’ve seen you”, Edward said and looked at Bella. He was really angry about the fact that she’d gone so close to the new girl and almost exposed herself as a vampire, because of her speed.

     “Edward, she only caught a glimpse of me!” Bella exclaimed. “She probably thought it was an animal. And why shouldn’t we greet her? She’s our neighbour, Edward!”

     “It could be…”

     “Dangerous, I know”, Bella filled in. “But only if we show that we _are_ vampires. If we do not, if we act as humans, she won’t know.”

     “We’ll meet her in school tomorrow”, Alice said, taking Bella’s side. “Edward, don’t you think we should be at least polite to her? She’s alone.”

     Jasper nodded in agreement, which made Edward sigh, before shaking his head.

     “We need to tell Carlisle about this”, he said.

     “No need.”

     The four of them turned around. Carlisle Cullen, their adoptive father, was standing in the door. His golden-brown eyes were dark, nearly black, as he hadn’t been drinking any blood since the accident that took Esme away. It was obvious he was still grieving the loss of his beloved wife. It was really only Edward who visited his office on the second floor, as he was the oldest of them.

     “I saw her”, Carlisle said. There were no feelings in his voice, it was just plain. Bella thought it didn’t fit at all with his character, but reminded herself that he was grieving more than the others.

     “And you think we should be… polite and invite her?” Edward said, his voice trembling with disgust.

     “Edward!” Bella exclaimed.

     “I don’t think anything”, Carlisle answered. Edward wrinkled his forehead, reading Carlisle mind, but finding nothing.

     “Carlisle…”

     “Enough about this for now”, the older vampire said and turned around, disappearing up the stairs once again.

     “I found nothing”, Edward said slowly. “He wasn’t thinking _anything_.”

     “That’s bad, isn’t it?” Bella said and took Edward’s hand. Edward nodded.

     “Really bad.”


	2. Chapter 2

She was quite nervous when she walked into the new school for the first time. People were looking at her, some interested, some with mocking grins on their faces. She looked away and concentrated on the map she’d received. Her first lesson was Biology. Great, she thought ironically, but walked away towards the classroom.

     She was a bit late thanks to the visit at the principal’s office, but the teacher smiled at her.

     “Ah, you must be Ashley Tyler”, he said and rose. “Welcome. I hope you’ve settled here in Dartmouth.”

     “Barely”, she admitted. He nodded.

     “Let me see, there’s a spot next to Bella and Edward. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you sat next to them.”

     “Not at all, Mr Johnson”, a voice said from one of the benches. Ashley looked at the girl. She was a beautiful brunette, he had bronze-coloured hair, and both of them had golden-brown eyes. Ashley carefully sat down next to Bella. Edward gave her a quick look of irritation, but then turned his gaze towards the board once again.

     “We live next to you”, Bella explained and smiled. “We saw you move in yesterday.”

     “Oh, right”, Ashley said and smiled back. “Nice meeting you both.”

     “Same to you”, Edward said, his voice harsh. Ashley wrinkled her forehead for a moment, before turning away from him and concentrating on the board. Mr Johnson was describing yet another biological thing she didn’t understand. It just didn’t work out for her. She tried to read in her new course-book, but it didn’t work either.

     “Do you not like Biology?” Bella asked when they walked out of the classroom.

     “Not really”, Ashley grimaced. Bella smiled.

     “You can come over this afternoon if you want, we can study together”, she said. Ashley nodded.

     “That’d be great.”

     “Bella!”

     Ashley looked over her shoulder and noticed two other students, both with the same golden-brown eyes as Bella and Edward, coming towards them. It was the girl who’d called Bella’s name. She was shorter than Ashley, who was 1,60 meters, with black hair in all directions. The boy was honey-blond and quite muscular, but with a face that didn’t express any emotions.

     “Oh, you must be Ashley, our new neighbour”, the girl said and embraced Ashley. “I’m Alice and this is Jasper.”

     “Nice meeting you both”, Ashley said once Alice released her.

     “Has Bella invited you to our house?” Alice asked. “Otherwise, I would.”

     Ashley noticed Edward giving Alice a surprised look, but he instantly wiped it away.

     “No, she has already invited me”, Ashley said with a smile. “She’s going to help me with Biology.”

     “That’s Bella’s best subject”, Alice said with a smile. “Anyway, I’ll see you later. Have to go now.”

     As both she and Jasper walked away, Alice almost danced through the corridor. Bella and Edward left as well, leaving Ashley alone by the lockers.

* * *

At three that afternoon Ashley knocked on the door to the big house. Bella opened it to her.

     “Ashley”, she said and embraced her. “Great to see you again. How was the rest of your day?”

     “Alright”, Ashley answered. She noticed the tall man standing on the second floor, but refused to look at him. When she finally did, he wasn’t there.

     “What?” Bella said, popping her head out through the living room’s door.

     “The man on the second floor”, Ashley answered. “Who is he?”

     Bella’s face turned solemn and she looked away for a moment.

     “It was probably Carlisle Cullen, our adoptive father”, she answered. “He’s in a deep depression right now and…”

     “Maybe you should talk to him.”

     It was Alice, who came dancing out through another door. Bella looked surprised.

     “I’m sure he would welcome you”, she continued.

     “I don’t think that’s such a great idea”, Ashley protested. “I mean, I do not know…”

     “Oh, don’t worry”, Alice said. “Maybe that’s what he needs, a person who doesn’t know him.”

     Ashley opened her mouth once again to protest, before looking at Bella. Edward now stood behind the brunette and looked at her, not showing any feelings. He scared her.

     “Alright, then”, Ashley said and started to slowly walk up the stairs.

     “It’s the last door in the corridor”, Alice said. Ashley nodded, continuing upstairs, walking up into the corridor. It was deep red and so long she thought she wouldn’t be able to reach the end of it before night.

     But she did, of course, and she took a deep breath before knocking on the door. There was no answer at first and she thought she’d gone in the wrong direction, before she heard a voice from the inside.

     “Come.”

     She carefully pushed the door open and stepped into the room. The man was standing like she’d seen him yesterday, at the window facing the forest and her own house.

     “Mr Cullen?” she said slowly, still standing with her back towards the door.

     “Yes?” he said and slowly turned. Just like his four adoptive children, his eyes were golden-brown, but his were a lot darker than the other ones.

     “Alice told me to come up and see you, sir”, Ashley explained. “I’m Ashley Tyler, your new neighbour.”

     “Yes, I saw you yesterday”, he said and sat down in his chair. Ashley thought she’d never heard anyone talk with such a voice, completely without feelings.

     “I… I should probably go downstairs again”, she said and turned around.

     “No.”

     The sudden fear in his voice made her stop.

     “Please, stay.”

     She turned back towards him. His eyes still reflected the deep grief she’d noticed yesterday, but now there was something else as well – fear. He didn’t want to be alone.

     “If you want me to”, she said and slowly walked closer, sitting down in a chair in front of his desk. He nodded.

     “I need someone here.”

     She slowly reached out and took his hand. It surprised her how cold it was, but she ignored the thought.

     “I am here, sir.”

     “Please, Ashley, call me Carlisle. You make me feel old.”

     She nodded and squeezed his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

“She was with him for _hours_!” Edward exclaimed later that evening.

     “Obviously he liked her company”, Alice said, leaning back against Jasper’s legs. “I told you it’d be fine; I saw it.”

     “He told her to come back”, Bella said with a smile. “Maybe she’s what he needs – someone who doesn’t know him, someone he can be himself with.”

     “He wasn’t himself and he isn’t himself now”, Edward muttered. “He still doesn’t think, I can’t read anything from him.”

     “It will take time”, Bella answered. “You can’t change over a few hours.”

     “I could hear her thoughts, remember”, Edward said and sat down in a chair. “And I didn’t like it.”

     “What do you mean?” Jasper asked.

     “She’s obsessed with supernatural stuff, especially _vampires_ ”, Edward answered. “It might be dangerous for her to be around Carlisle and it _will_ be dangerous for us if she finds out.”

     “You didn’t mind me knowing that you were a vampire”, Bella said and looked annoyed.

     “This is different!” Edward exclaimed, but realised he had already lost this battle. Therefore, he sighed.

     “We have to keep an eye on both her and Carlisle when she’s here. I do not want him to bite her just because of that he’s grieving Esme.”

     “Edward, even if Carlisle was that thirsty he would never bite a human”, Alice assured him. “He’s never capable of doing that.”

* * *

It rained the next day. When she arrived at the Cullens’ house in the afternoon, she was soaked.

     “Ashley!” Alice exclaimed when she opened the door. “You’re completely soaked.”

     “Yeah, I noticed”, Ashley said and stepped inside. Alice handed her a towel to dry her hair with, before giving her one of Bella’s big jumpers.

     “You must’ve done a great impression on Carlisle yesterday, he was even downstairs and _ate_ this morning”, Alice said with a grin. Ashley smiled.

     “That’s great to hear.”

     “There’s still a long way to go”, Edward said and came out of the living-room. His voice was harsh, as it had been the previous times when he’d spoken to her.

     “I didn’t think he would be completely free of the depression in one day”, Ashley said and looked away.

     “We didn’t expect that to happen”, Alice assured her. “Come on, I’ll follow you up.”

     “No need.”

     Carlisle was standing on the top of the stairs and looked down at them.

     “I’ll follow her up myself”, he said. The other Cullens didn’t move when Ashley walked up the stairs and past Carlisle, who turned and walked beside her through the corridor.

     “How are you feeling?” Ashley asked carefully.

     “I’m fine”, Carlisle answered. She noticed he still didn’t put any emotions in his voice.

     “How is your research going?” he asked when they were in his study once again.

     “Quite bad, it’s hard to find any reliable sources on this subject”, Ashley answered and sat down in the chair. “Most books are more Dracula-style, with thirsty monsters killing beautiful ladies.”

     Carlisle nodded.

     “I guessed so”, he said. “There are few who describes vampires in a different way.”

     “They’re talking about _vampires_?” Bella hissed. Edward nodded.

     “Obviously Ashley has some kind of a project on vampires”, he said. “And Carlisle is giving her information on them… on _us_.”

     “Is he betraying us?” Jasper asked.

     “I’m not sure.”

     Ashley continued to dry her hair with the towel.

     “When was the last time you were outside this house, Carlisle?” she asked.

     “When we moved in, a couple of weeks ago”, Carlisle answered.

     “Maybe you need some fresh air”, Ashley suggested. “We can take a short walk in the woods. I’m sure you’ll feel better after that.”

     “You might be right”, Carlisle said and rose. Ashley rose as well and began to pull off Bella’s jumper.

     “Don’t.”

     She hesitated and looked at Carlisle. His dark eyes seemed to be burning as he looked at her. She carefully released the jumper and let it fall down again. Carlisle looked away.

     “Thank you”, he said and then he walked out of the door. Ashley looked surprised, but then followed him downstairs.

     Carlisle didn’t seem to mind the rain outside. He walked with long strides across the lawn, in among the trees. Ashley had to run after him, not caring to pull up the hood on Bella’s jumper since she was already quite wet. Carlisle waited for her in a small clearing where the house was no longer visible. He seemed to smell the air.

     “There’s just forest around us now”, he said. “No other beings, except for a few hares. Nothing else.”

     He looked at her and suddenly, unexpectedly, he chuckled. Ashley stared at him.

     “I’m sorry, Ashley”, he said and fell silent.

     “No, it’s not that”, she said and stepped up in front of him. “It’s… you laughed! You actually _laughed_!”

     He looked at her in silence.

     “You showed emotions, the others said you’d been plain since you got here”, Ashley continued. Carlisle nodded.

     “I guess it’s the air”, he said. Then he turned his head and stared into the forest.

     “Wait here, I’ll be right back”, he said and walked away. Ashley slowly walked after him, but he was no longer visible once she stood among the trees again. It surprised her how fast he was.

     She waited for about a quarter. Then she noticed him in the mist. Just like before, he was walking fast and now, he had a thin smile on his lips.

     “I hope you didn’t get too wet while waiting”, he said.

     “Not wetter than I was before”, Ashley answered. He smiled and that was when she noticed – his eyes were now bright golden-brown instead of the darker colour she’d seen them in before. She could hardly let go of his gaze; those eyes fascinated her.

     It was he who looked away.

     “Perhaps we should go back”, he said. She immediately shook her head.

     “No!”

     It surprised her how fixed she sounded and it obviously surprised him as well, since he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

     “I mean… I like it out here”, she corrected herself. “I like the forest.”

     “Ashley, you’re already soaked”, he said and placed his cold hand on her wet cheek. “You’ll get sick.”

     She looked into his eyes once again. They showed compassion. A deeper compassion than she’d ever seen someone else show. She thought that it might be possible to drown in those golden-brown depths. Perhaps it was, but she couldn’t say she minded drowning. Not when he was there.

     She hardly knew what she was doing, but suddenly she stood on her toes and placed a careful kiss on his cold lips. He froze, stood absolutely still for a moment, before he suddenly responded. And that was when she realized what she was doing and stepped back. She looked frightened. He didn’t say anything; he just stood there, looking at her.

     And she turned and ran. She ran faster than she’d ever done before, right across the forest until she could see her own, small house. Even though her lungs were already burning, she increased her speed so that she almost fainted once she stopped by the door. But she didn’t stay there too long – instead she pulled up her keys, unlocked the door and stepped inside. She locked the door behind her before she ran into her bedroom and crept down beneath her blankets. And then she started to cry.

     Among the trees, right where she’d left him, Carlisle still stood completely still.


	4. Chapter 4

     “Where’s Ashley”? Alice asked. “I haven’t seen her for ages.”

     “Four days”, Edward corrected her. “But you are right; something’s wrong. Carlisle has stopped thinking again.”

     “You mean you _did_ hear him think while Ashley was here?” Bella exclaimed.

     “There wasn’t much, but something”, Edward answered. “While they were in the forest, when I and Jasper sneaked after them, I could hear his thoughts. First, he thought that Ashley looked cute with her wet hair in a mess. Then there was complete blankness while he went hunting.”

     “He hunted while she was there?” Bella exclaimed.

     “She waited for him where he’d left her”, Edward quickly explained. “When he returned, he was worried about her health.”

     “I sensed that too”, Jasper said in his usual, calm voice. Edward nodded; he’d expected Jasper to sense it as well.

     “The last thing I heard was him thinking ‘I am sorry, Esme’”, he finished the story.

     “And during these four days, yet again nothing?” Alice asked. Edward nodded.

     “Nothing.”

* * *

“Ashley, you need to see a doctor”, her concerned mother said on the phone. “Come back home, darling, we’ll take care of you.”

     “Mum, I’m fine”, Ashley sighed and leaned back against the pillows. “I can’t depend on you and dad all the time.”

     She covered the phone so that her mother wouldn’t hear her coughs.

     “Please, Ashley”, her mother pleaded.

     “Mum, I’ve got to go”, she interrupted. “I’ll talk to you later.”

     She hung up the phone and closed her eyes. Carlisle had been right about her getting sick, but that was not the main reason for her staying at home. She was afraid to face the Cullens. And why shouldn’t she be? She’d kissed their father, as if she was some kind of a cheep whore!

     No, the Cullens were the last family she could consider meeting.

     A silent knock on the front-door made her open her eyes. Who might that be? She slowly got out of bed and put on a second jumper, before walking out to the door. When she saw her unexpected guest through the window, she froze and turned even paler. Outside stood Carlisle Cullen.

     What should she do? She couldn’t leave him outside her door just like that, that’d be rude, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to let him in either.

     He made the choice for her, as he opened the door himself.

     “You should think of another hiding-place for your key”, he said and placed her second key on the kitchen table. Ashley looked away.

     “Your school called and asked me to check on you”, Carlisle continued.

     “I’ll be fine”, Ashley mumbled, before she coughed again. Carlisle looked at her.

     “I hear that”, he said. “You’d better lay down, Ashley.”

     She walked back into her bedroom and lay down in bed. He pulled up a chair next to her and started to examine her.

     “Carlisle?”

     “Yes?”

     He didn’t look at her, but it didn’t really matter; she didn’t dare to look at him either.

     “I’m sorry.”

     He lifted her gaze towards her face and noticed a single tear fall down from her eye.

     “I don’t know why I…”

     Her voice faded away and she coughed once again, leaning away from him to spit in a bucket on the other side of the bed.

     “I know”, Carlisle said. “And I also have to beg for your forgiveness.”

     Now she looked at him, her forehead wrinkled in surprise.

     “ _My_ forgiveness?”

     “I didn’t tell you everything”, Carlisle answered and put away his tools. “You see, Ashley, the reason I and my family moved here was that my wife, Esme, got killed.”

     Ashley stared at him.

     “Oh, Carlisle, I’m so sorry”, she whispered. “And I made everything worse by doing that, didn’t I?”

     “No”, Carlisle answered and looked at her. “The thing is, you didn’t. I’ve been mourning Esme since the day she was murdered, weeks ago, and even though I will always mourn her and blame myself for not being there, saving her, I now also know that I need to go on.”

     “Who killed her?” Ashley asked after a while.

     “A vampire”, Carlisle answered. Ashley stared at him once again. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.

     “You told me that black eyes indicate that the vampire is thirsty”, she whispered. “And red eyes that he or she has drunken human blood… what do your golden-brown eyes symbolise?”

     He sat still in silence, waiting for her to look at him again.

     “You are a vampire, aren’t you, Carlisle?” she said and opened her eyes. “That’s how you could tell me everything about them, and why your skin is so cold…”

     She hesitated and coughed again.

     “And you’re always pale”, she continued. “And in the forest, you disappeared so fast and when you came back, you weren’t even a bit exhausted.”

     “All you say is true”, Carlisle agreed. “I am a vampire.”

     He rose from the chair and looked out through the window.

     “But I’ve never used human blood to satisfy my thirst”, he continued. “Both me and my family survive on the blood of different animals. That’s how we can be around humans without biting them.”

     “You mean you’ve… never even tasted human blood?” Ashley asked, still a bit shocked by the news.

     “Only when I changed some of the others”, Carlisle answered.

     “You mean… bit them…”

     “Yes”, Carlisle said and nodded. “I spread a poison, that every vampire carries, in their veins.”

     He sounded sad and he still refused to look at her.

     “They were all dying when I did it. Edward, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett…”

     He hesitated, before turning towards her.

     “You need to rest, Ashley”, he said. “I need you to take these pills once every fourth hour while you’re awake. You’ll be better soon.”

     He placed a bottle of pills on the table next to her bed. Ashley sat up straighter, about to protest, but Carlisle shook his head and pushed her back down with one hand on her shoulder.

     “Rest”, he said. She sighed and nodded. Carlisle smiled briefly and stroked her cheek.

     “I’ll tell you more soon”, he said and placed his cold lips on her forehead. Then, faster than the wind, he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

“What the hell is wrong with you, Edward?” Bella exclaimed. “Carlisle has started to move on, we do not have to hide from Ashley anymore, Emmett and Rosalie are coming to visit and you are still sourer than ten thousand lemons!”

     “For some reason, the pattern seems familiar”, Edward answered, looking at his wife. “Some details have changed, but otherwise it is the same course of events as when I met you.”

     “What, do you think that James will take Ashley to a ballet-studio as well?” Alice asked and jumped down from the tree. “Edward, if something bad will happen, I will see it.”

     “You do not see everything”, Edward muttered.

     “I see something now”, Alice said and grinned. “Ashley!”

     Ashley waved at them from the road and both Alice and Bella rushed towards her, embracing her at the same time.

     “Finally!” Alice exclaimed.

     “Girls, you’re crushing my ribs”, Ashley managed to say. Both Bella and Alice released her at once.

     “Sorry, we’re just so happy to see you again”, Bella explained.

     “I’m glad to be here again”, Ashley said and smiled. “How’s Carlisle?”

     “He’s getting better”, Alice answered. “Edward can hear his thoughts again.”

     “You can hear someone’s thoughts?” Ashley asked and looked at Edward.

     “Yes”, Edward answered dryly.

     “Vampires can sometimes have a gift”, Alice explained. “Jasper can sense and affect someone’s emotions and Bella can protect both herself and others from the abilities of another vampire.”

     “Ashley, how are you feeling?”

     Carlisle had shown up without them noticing it. A thin smile was on his lips and his eyes reflected happiness, sadness and relief.

     “Keeps getting better”, Ashley answered and smiled at him. He gently placed an arm around her shoulders. Edward’s eyes immediately turned darker, reflecting pure hate. Ashley looked away.

     “Come”, Carlisle said. “I know you still have a lot of questions.”

     “Carlisle!”

     They both turned towards Edward. His eyes were still dark, but whatever he’d intended to tell Carlisle – if he’d intended to – never crossed his icy lips. Carlisle stood still, looking at his adopted son, while his grip on Ashley’s right shoulder hardened. Then he turned them both around, with long strides leading Ashley towards the forest.

     “Why does he hate me?” Ashley asked when they ere once again in the clearing. Carlisle looked surprised.

     “Who?”

     “Edward”, Ashley said and looked at the vampire. “He hates me.”

     Carlisle stared at her, before he chuckled softly.

     “Ashley, dear Ashley”, he said and sat down next to her. “Is that what you think? That my son hates you and wants to kill you?”

     Ashley nodded, slightly blushing, and looked away, focusing her gaze on a straw she held in her hands.

     “Edward has been through a lot lately”, Carlisle explained. “You see, before we came here, we lived in Forks, a small town where the sun almost never shone. That was where Edward and Bella met.”

     He leaned back against the tree.

     “Another vampire-coven showed up as well, not long after Bella’s arrival, and one of them, James, started to hunt her.”

     “What has that got to do with this?” Ashley asked and looked up. Carlisle met her gaze.

     “Edward is afraid that the same thing is about to happen here”, he answered silently. Ashley opened her mouth to answer, but Carlisle interrupted her.

     “He can read my mind, Ashley. He knows exactly what I think all the time when I’m around; what I like, what I do not like, what I think about Esme, and you…”

     He rose once again and walked away into the woods. Ashley rose as well, ran after him and grabbed his arm.

     “What, Carlisle?” she said, looking at him. “What do you think of me? Why do Edward think that time is repeating itself? Why…”

     Carlisle put his cold finger on her lips.

     “Do you really want to know everything”, he said, his voice soft. She nodded slowly.

     The next moment he lifted her up on his back and started to run. He was faster than anything else, stronger, more agile. Even though she’d known of his abilities before, it was a completely different thing to be a part of them.

     He took her far away from the houses, up among the hills, through the dense forests. And then he slowed down to a stop, putting her down on the ground. Her legs were trembling slightly.

     “Ashley, I have never survived on human blood”, he said, walking in front of her. “I work in a hospital, I’m a highly ranked doctor and in those environments, I am never tempted by the blood.”

     He turned towards her and she noticed that he had unbuttoned his shirt. It wasn’t exactly hard to imagine that people might pretend to faint to get to hospital, just to get a glimpse of him. But Ashley doubted that many of those had seen the pale skin hidden beneath his clothes, the body that could belong to the world’s most famous poster-boy.

     “The only person that I am tempted by is you”, he continued. “That was why I didn’t want you to pull off Bella’s jumper in my office; as I hadn’t been hunting for very long, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold back.”

     She shifted her gaze from his muscular chest to his eyes.

     “I am bound to you, Ashley”, he said, his voice trembling slightly. “I would do anything to be around you, to make sure you’re safe, to know that you are happy.”

     She took a step towards him. His eyes followed her every move, those beautiful eyes that had made her fall for him the last time they’d been alone in the forest. They still scared her, as she wasn’t sure if they would once again make her do something stupid.

     Then the sun broke through the clouds and its rays touched his naked chest. And what happened to him was not what she’d expected.

     Carlisle had told her many things that led her to the truth about vampires. But he’d never talked to her about what happened when a vampire’s skin was touched by the rays of the sun. She’d believed, for that mere reason, that the fact that vampires die when out in sunlight was a myth that was true. But obviously it wasn’t, as Carlisle still stood there, in front of her. His skin shimmered as if it was made out of small diamonds.

     “This is who I am, Ashley”, he said, looking away. It looked like he was ashamed of himself.

     “Carlisle”, she said softly and took the last few steps up to him. He didn’t make a move, didn’t answer her. For a moment she was afraid that he’d actually been killed by the sun’s rays. Carefully she placed a hand on his cold chest. Carlisle inhaled deeply.

     “Ashley”, he whispered and looked at her once again.

     “I love you”, she said without further ado. “No matter what you are, I do love you.”

     He slowly bent his head towards her and she closed her eyes.

     “Even if I’m an old, heartbroken and lonely vampire?” he whispered.

     “Yes.”

     And he kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

“Alice!”

     Edward shook his sister violently, but Alice refused to let go of her vision.

     “He’s coming”, she whispered. “He wants to finish what he’s started and he is on his way here.”

     “Alice, let go!” Edward hissed. Alice blinked, letting go of the vision before rising from the ground. She looked at Edward for a moment, before she rushed back into the house.

     “What did she see?” Bella asked, her voice merely a whisper.

     “The man who killed Esme”, Edward answered, his voice trembling with anger. “He’s after Carlisle.”

     “What? Why?”

     “I think it has something to do with his past”, Edward said thoughtfully. “That’s what I managed to hear when Esme got killed, that the killer was ‘the one from the past’.”

     “And now he’s coming here since… why?” Bella continued.

     “Maybe because he didn’t get what he wanted when he killed Esme?” Jasper suggested.

     “What would he have wanted then?” Bella asked and sat down on Edward’s lap. “He broke Carlisle's heart, isn’t that enough?”

     “Obviously not, since he’s coming, according to Alice’s vision”, Edward sighed. “Damn, this is _really_ Deja Vú.”

     Bella groaned.

     “I know, I know”, she muttered. Jasper suddenly tensed.

     “They’re on their way”, he said and nodded at the two persons walking out from the woods. Just like when they’d left, Carlisle’s arm was placed around Ashley’s shoulders.

     “We have to tell them”, Bella mumbled. Edward nodded and lifted her off his lap. Then they all noticed that Carlisle changed direction, from the door and the house to the road. His smile was broad and he talked to someone.

     “It’s Rosalie and Emmett”, Edward said and opened the door. Jasper and Bella followed him.

     Down by the road stood their siblings, Emmett and Rosalie. Obviously Carlisle was introducing them to Ashley and Bella recognized the reactions; Rosalie’s disgust and Emmett’s wide and welcoming grin.

     “Hey, there you are!” Emmett called and waved at them. He embraced them one by one, before noticing that someone was missing.

     “Where’s our little pixie?” he asked. Edward’s face darkened and he shifted his gaze to Carlisle.

     “She had a vision not so long ago”, he said. “The hunter is coming.”

     Carlisle didn’t move, or at least it didn’t seem like that, but Ashley felt his grip around her shoulder harden once again.

     “Everyone in the kitchen, now”, he said. “Oh, and Emmett, place the car with the others.”

* * *

“Carlisle, you have to tell us”, Edward said and looked at his adoptive father. “Who is that man and what does he want?”

     “That man, son, is the vampire who changed me”, Carlisle answered. The other Cullens looked surprised.

     “Is he still alive?” Emmett asked.

     “Seems like that”, Carlisle said and sat down next to Ashley. “I recognized his scent when you brought Esme back home and I couldn’t believe it. Neither could the werewolves.”

     “Werewolves?” Ashley said and stared at Carlisle. “There are werewolves as well?”

     “There are”, Bella answered. “My best friend is one.”

     She rose from her seat.

     “I’ll call him, try to get him to come here and help”, she continued. Carlisle didn’t answer her and she walked out of the room to fetch a phone.

     “You didn’t answer my second question”, Edward said.

     “That’s because I do not know the answer”, the older vampire said.

     “In Alice’s vision it was like he hadn’t received what he wanted”, Edward continued. “What could he have wanted by killing Esme?”

     “A change”, Ashley whispered. All pairs of golden-brown eyes turned towards her.

     “He might have wanted Carlisle to change”, Ashley explained. “Or maybe, make all of you change. You’re what you call vegetarians, different from the rest of your kind. And difference has always been bad to some people. What if this vampire believes that if Carlisle or anyone else in this family starts drinking blood again, the whole race of vampires would change as well… maybe turn more powerful.”

     “Why would he kill Esme, then?” Edward asked. It was the first time he actually didn’t sound angry when speaking to her.

     “Because of that if someone gets his heart broken, that person tends to change, maybe seek revenge.”

     Edward leaned back.

     “That sounds logical”, he admitted. “And if that is his plan, we now know his next move.”

     Ashley swallowed.

     “Time repeats itself”, Alice whispered from her place. It was the first thing she’d said since the vision had come to her. Carlisle wrapped his arm around Ashley’s shoulders.

     “We’ll keep you safe, I promise”, he said. “He won’t get anywhere near you.”

     “Jacob will come, and the other guys too”, Bella said, returning to the room.

     “I don’t like that they’ll risk their lives here, far away from home”, Carlisle said.

     “They were more than happy to do it, sounds like he managed to kill a Quileute right after killing Esme and the werewolves are eager to revenge her”, Bella answered. “And if Ashley’s right about his plan, we’re going to need a lot of people around.”

     “Translation from werewolf-language to regular English; they’re bored and they miss Bella”, Emmett said. Bella hit him on the shoulder.

     “We should put out guards in the forest”, Edward decided. “Since we do not know more about when he’ll be here or anything else, we need to be very cautious.”

     “I’ll bring Ashley back to her place and stay with her there”, Carlisle said and rose. “We’ll meet up in the morning again.”

* * *

“Will they be alright?” Ashley asked. Carlisle, lying next to her on the bed, nodded.

     “They will. This time we know what we’re up against.”

     Ashley nodded, though she wasn’t sure about what Carlisle was referring to, and squeezed his hand.

     “It will be alright”, she said. He looked surprised.

     “What, are you suddenly comforting me?” he said. She smiled at him.

     “You sounded worried and you’ve been acting as if you are really worried since Edward told us about Alice’s vision”, she said.

     “I’m only worried that I’ll lose you like I lost Esme”, he answered and kissed her forehead.

     “But not about the others?” she asked.

     “They’ll be fine.”

     “Then I’ll worry about them for you”, she said and snuggled up against him. He chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around her.

     “Sweet dreams, Ashley.”


	7. Chapter 7

Ashley woke up in his arms the next morning. It was a wonderful feeling to look up into his lovely eyes and see him smile towards her.

     “Good morning”, he said. She yawned and smiled.

     “Morning”, she said. Then she grew solemn again.

     “Anything new?”

     He shook his head.

     “Not tonight. Emmett found some scent of another vampire, but not his.”

     “But that means that there is another vampire out there”, Ashley said and sat up. Carlisle sat up next to her.

     “Don’t worry”, he said. “We’ll fix things, I promise.”

     He stroked her cheek and smiled comfortingly.

     “Hopefully things will not turn out as bad as before”, he whispered and kissed her.

     It was hard for both of them to end the kiss. Once they did, Ashley’s hands had messed up Carlisle’s hair and Carlisle had a hard time leaving her shirt alone.

     He was the one to make the decision to end it.

     “I’m still weak”, he whispered. “I might harm you.”

     “I’ll wait for you”, she whispered back, even though she’d whished they had continued. Now he lifted her up and carried her out into the kitchen.

     While she was eating her breakfast, Emmett stepped in through the door.

     “Wow, Carlisle, must be the first time I’ve seen you with messy hair”, he said and grinned. “Well done, Ashley.”

     Carlisle quickly pulled his honey-blond hair backwards so that everything was once again in order.

     “Anyway, Edward suggested that you’d go and hunt some”, Emmett continued. “He remembers far too well how it was when Bella was still human. Besides, Ashley has hardly spent some time with the rest of us.”

     “Are you sure about that?” Carlisle asked.

     “Well, I’d love to learn more about this person that’s captured you”, Emmett answered with a new grin. Ashley blushed.

* * *

Eventually, Carlisle agreed on going hunting while the other Cullens watched over Ashley. After the discussion the day before, Edward had decided to be nice to her. He didn’t make her do anything with him to compensate, but he didn’t look angry, or sound angry, when around her.

     Ashley had soon heard Alice, Bella, Edward and Emmett tell their own stories of how they became vampires. Jasper still seemed to be a little cautious around her; according to Alice he was the one having the hardest time staying vegetarian. And Rosalie… well, it was hard not to find her beautiful, but that was the only thing. She never spoke to Ashley, only to the other Cullens. And out of those, Bella seemed to be the one she liked the least. Ashley believed it might have something to do with her being the newest addition to the family, but she never asked.

     It was past midday when Carlisle returned from the hunt. At once, he made sure that Ashley had had a good time with the others and also checked with Alice if she’d had any more visions. She hadn’t, which Carlisle found both good and bad.

     “It means that he is still coming”, he told Ashley, “but also that we still know what is going on.”

     He sat next to her outside the house, watching Emmett and Jasper competing in arm-wrestling. Alice, Edward and Bella sat on the opposite side, while Rosalie stood behind Emmett.

     It was as if she was already a part of their family. As if she’d always been there, next to Carlisle, but she hadn’t. Esme had been there before.

     She’d never thought of her predecessor before, not much anyway, but this day she found herself wondering who that woman might have been. How she’d looked, how she’d been around Carlisle and the others. It wasn’t hard to thing of her loving Carlisle, only that he’d loved her, and still did.

     She felt that Edward was looking at her and blushed when she realised that he’d probably been listening to her thoughts. Carlisle looked at her.

     “What’s wrong?”

     “Nothing”, she answered. “I was just… just looking at your family.”

     “They’re your family too, now”, he said with a smile. There was something in that sentence that made her feel uncomfortable. She knew that it didn’t mean anything more than that; she was a part of their family through her love, but there was something else as well. Something that she should remember.

     Suddenly, Bella’s cell-phone buzzed.

     “Hello? Jacob! You’re already here? That was quick… yes, I see… what? In London? You’re sure?”

     There was a long pause before Bella nodded.

     “Thanks Jake, I really appreciate it… I’ll see you and the others later… bye then!”

     She turned off the phone. During her conversation, all the others had tensed and listened to every word she said.

     “Jacob and the rest of the guys are in London at the moment, and they found a track there”, Bella explained. “It’s the same scent that was on Esme after she’d been killed.”

     “He’s in London?” Carlisle asked and rose, pulling Ashley along.

     “According to Jacob, the scent was all around a large building with a sign, reading _Raver & Tyler Corporations_”, Bella continued. Ashley gasped.

     “Oh God”, she whispered. “That’s my father’s office!”


	8. Chapter 8

Ashley was so pale that the colour of her skin almost matched the vampires’. She was shaking and Carlisle had to steady her.

     “Ashley… Ashley, listen to me”, he said, his voice calm and soothing.

     “What if something happens to them?” she whispered and sank down on the ground.

     “They’ll be safe, while the pack’s there they’ll search everything and make sure that no one’s been harmed”, Bella calmed her.

     “It’s just… I have never met Mr Raver, my dad’s best friend”, Ashley continued and looked up at them. “My father always says that he’s away a lot. What if…”

     “What if he’s the one”, Edward filled in. There was complete silence on the front lawn.

     “If he’s somehow found out that… that I…”

     Ashley’s voice broke as she started to cry. Carlisle wrapped his arms around her.

     “Don’t worry”, he mumbled in her ear. “We’ll deal with this.”

     Ashley never heard him give the others their different missions, she was just crying against his cold chest. Then he scoped her up in his arms and started running.

     “It will be alright”, he said as he set her down on the ground again. She hadn’t realised that she’d been crying the whole time and that his jacket was now quite wet where her head had been.

     “I’m sorry”, she whispered. He smiled reassuringly at her.

     “Don’t be”, he answered and kissed her.

     “Well, what’s this?”

     Carlisle immediately broke the kiss and stood in front of Ashley, protecting her. A tall man jumped down from one of the trees nearby.

     “Carlisle, my son, what a pleasure to meet you again”, he said and grinned. “And Ashley Tyler is here as well. You’ve got your father’s eyes.”

     “Raver”, Ashley whispered, too afraid to make another sound. The man grinned at her.

     “Seems like you’ve already understood who I am. I really shouldn’t have underestimated you.”

     He turned to Carlisle.

     “But you, son, look at what has become of you? Of us both? We’re… human…”

     He said the word with disgust.

     “Or at least, we pretend to be”, he continued. “Looks like you weren’t as strong as I’d hoped. After all, you were a Hunter once. Why not become that again?”

     “I’ve never wanted to be a Hunter”, Carlisle answered. Ashley thought his voice sounded quite strange, though she didn’t pay attention to it.

     “Really?” Raver said and chuckled. “You know you have been, Carlisle, and you still are. You’re just pushing it away.”

     He took a step forward.

     “Don’t deny it, my son”, he continued. “You’re a vampire since 400 years, this is not what you should be doing. _Protecting_ humans? That’s not good.”

     “No…”

     Ashley gasped as she felt his grip hardening.

     “Carlisle!”

     “It’s not good…” he mumbled.

     “Carlisle!” she screamed again as she felt that her arms were about to break.

     “Carlisle, stop it!”

     The new voice was Edward’s. He’d shown up from behind them and now tore Ashley away from Carlisle. Carlisle stood completely still.

     “Why isn’t he doing anything?” Bella asked Edward as she pulled Ashley backwards.

     “That’s his power; he’s able to hypnotize people”, Edward answered bitterly. “I think that you need to step forward.”

     Bella nodded and left Ashley in Edward’s hands.

     “Carlisle, come back”, she said. The older vampire blinked and Raver hissed.

     “No!”

     “You leave us alone, Raver”, Bella said. “Don’t you dare…”

     “Carlisle is my creation, he’s mine”, Raver growled.

     “He’s his own”, Edward said from behind, keeping Ashley in his arms. Raver growled once again and moved forward, but a fuzz of russet fur stopped him from going any further.

     “Jake!” Bella called.

     “Seth, get Ashley home”, Edward said and lifted her onto the back of a sand-coloured wolf, who’d just appeared behind them. The wolf growled.

     “You can come back here later”, Edward assured him. “Make two of the others guard her, along with Alice and Jasper. We need to scan the forest for the others.”

     “Others?” Ashley gasped. “What… Edward? Carlisle!”

     But the wolf had already run a long way away from the fight and she had to cling to his back for her life.

     The wolf took her back to the Cullens’ house, where Jasper and Alice waited for her. It was obvious that they didn’t really want to just sit there and watch, even though they pretended to, but Ashley could see the longing in their eyes as the sandy wolf ran back to the fight.

     “What if something happens to them?” Ashley whispered and sank down in the large sofa.

     “Don’t worry”, Jasper said, his voice calming her instantly. “They’ll be alright, they’ll be back soon.”

     For the rest of the evening, it was the same thing over and over again. When Jasper was outside the house, talking to a grey wolf that was obviously on guard, Ashley couldn’t stop thinking about what might’ve happened to the others. Alice desperately tried to calm her down, but it didn’t work. Jasper had to come around and use his abilities all the time.

     “Alice, how many newborns did you see?” Jasper asked once, when Ashley was once again calm.

     “About 20, just like last time”, Alice answered. “It’s going to be a tough fight, and it will be worse if the Volturi shows up. They do not exactly like us at the moment.”

     Ashley didn’t bother asking who the newborns were or why they were worrying about them and the Volturi, a name that she’d never heard before. Jasper’s presence made her stay calm and still, even though she felt a strong will deep inside to rush out into the darkening forests and find Carlisle again.

     “Ashley’s tired”, Alice said after a while. “We should get her to bed.”

     “I’ll sleep in the sofa”, Ashley mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

     “Oh no, you don’t”, Alice said and lifted her up. It was a weird feeling being carried by a person as small as Alice, but at the moment Ashley didn’t bother.

     “I’ll be right behind you”, she heard Jasper say, though she thought he was talking to Alice and not to her.

     She felt herself being placed on a soft sheet and then another sheet was placed upon her. The voices of the two others were just whispers now and she couldn’t understand what they were talking about. All she wanted was to slip away into her dreams and feel that Carlisle was close to her.


	9. Chapter 9

When Ashley slowly forced her eyes to open up once again, she was in an unfamiliar room. She immediately sat up in the large bed and stared out into the darkness. Well, there was not complete darkness; light was sipping in from behind the curtains. A tapping against the window told her that it was raining, but that wasn’t what she was thinking of. All she could think of was where she might be and where her friends were… where Carlisle was.

     After calming herself down, she started to think back on what had happened the night before. She’d freaked out about Carlisle and the others not coming back, and Jasper had been there. Then her memories were pretty blurry, she did remember that Alice had been the one to carry her to a bed. Probably this bed. That probably meant that she was in the Cullens’ house.

     Once again, she wondered if Carlisle had come back home and she decided to check it. As she put her feet down on the floor, she noticed that there was a pair of soft slippers placed there for her, along with a dressing gown that was lying at the end of the bed. She put both slippers and gown on, but then took off her slippers once again. She was still wearing her clothes from last night. They were probably not too fresh after a night in bed, so she removed the socks and trousers, but kept her t-shirt on beneath the gown. Then she put the slippers back on her feet and carefully opened the door.

     The house wasn’t as quiet as she’d thought. She heard someone snore in a room close by. Curiously, so opened the door to look at whoever it might be.

     There was a tall, tanned boy spread out across the king-size bed. She guessed he was about two meters in height and his body was quite muscular. Was this one of Bella’s friends, perhaps?

     Ashley decided to let the boy sleep and closed the door once again, walking through the familiar corridor. She hesitated by the stairs and then continued to Carlisle’s office. Perhaps she should check upstairs first, before walking down.

     The room was empty when she walked in. Even though she’d told herself that she should turn back immediately and walk down instead, she couldn’t. The whole room smelled of Carlisle, at least she thought so. She noticed that his scarf was thrown over his chair, the one he’d been wearing last night. It was impossible for her to defeat the urge to walk over to the chair and pick up the scarf, just to feel if it smelled of him.

     After a while, she felt that someone was looking at her from behind, and she turned around. Carlisle was standing in the door, stiff and even paler than usual. She dropped the scarf with a gasp when she noticed how scared he looked.

     “Carlisle”, she whispered. He didn’t move.

     “I hurt you”, he said, his voice emotionless. She looked surprised, before she looked down at her arms. Blue marks were appearing where his hands had been yesterday, when he’d been hypnotized.

     “Carlisle, it’s…”

     “Don’t.”

     She hesitated and then closed her mouth. He still looked so scared, so terrified of what he’d done. Still, they were just bruises. He hadn’t hurt her; he hadn’t known what he was doing.

     “I can’t… let myself hurt you…” he said, his voice stiff.

     “You didn’t”, she answered and took a step towards him. He shook his head.

     “It’s not good”, he said. “I do not wish to lose you, Ashley, like I lost Esme.”

     The pain in his eyes returned and he looked like he’d done when she’d first met him, except for that his eyes weren’t as dark as then.

     “I can’t…”

     She interrupted him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. He could taste the salt from her tears, tears he hadn’t noticed she’d been crying upon seeing him again, and he held her closer. If he’d been able to cry, he would’ve. Now he settled for kissing her, feeling her warmth, tasting her lips and knowing that she was there, that he hadn’t lost her.

     “Carlisle”, she whispered when she broke the kiss to breath. “You didn’t know what you were doing.”

     “I should have stopped it”, he whispered back, before kissing her again.

     “Don’t blame yourself”, she mumbled against his lips.

     “I should have watched over you, made sure that everything was safe.”

     He broke the last kiss and took her face in his hands.

     “I can’t imagine a life without you now, Ashley”, he said solemnly. “As long as it is possible, I will protect you and make sure that no one will ever harm you.”

     “Carlisle”, she sighed. He released her, afraid that he’d done something wrong, said something she didn’t want to hear. She immediately grabbed him again, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

     “Focus on what we have right now”, she whispered. “Focus on the positive things, not the negative ones.”

     He relaxed and wrapped his arms around her again, leaning his cheek against her brown curls.

     “Doc, have you… oh…”

     The voice behind Carlisle made them both look up. It was the tan boy that Ashley had seen in the other room before.

     “Where you looking for something, Seth?” Carlisle asked.

     “Well, I was just… I wanted to ask if you had any more food.”

     He looked uncertain, ashamed even. Ashley smiled at him.

     “Have the others eaten it all?” Carlisle asked, obviously amused by the situation.

     “Obviously”, Seth muttered.

     “I might have some food over at my place”, Ashley suggested.

     “You know, these boys eat quite a lot”, Carlisle warned her, still amused. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Seth alone ate everything you had.”

     “Hey!”

     Ashley laughed.

     “Don’t worry ‘bout it, then I’ll just have to buy some more, right?” she said. “I’ll go and get the keys for you, Seth.”

     “Ashley, you haven’t eaten either”, Carlisle reminded her. “All three of us should go over to your place.”

     She raised an eyebrow at him, but then remembered that she hadn’t seen the others yet. A cold hand seemed to grab her heart when she realized why; they were still out there.

* * *

“That’s ten down.”

     Jacob grinned at them while returning to his human form. The four vampires in front of him turned away so that he could put on the trousers he’d been carrying around his waist.

     “Did anyone manage to get Raver?” Edward asked and turned back, signalling that things were clear. Jacob’s face turned dark.

     “I _had_ him”, he muttered. Edward sighed.

     “Yes, I know, and I apologize for not warning you”, he said.

     “Jake, it’s not your fault”, Bella said silently. Jacob nodded.

     “Perhaps not”, he said. “None of the others got him. You didn’t either?”

     All four vampires shook their heads.

     “Not Rosalie or Emmett either”, Jasper said. “I just checked.”

     “That’s bad, isn’t it?” Jacob said.

     “Yes, since he’s after Carlisle and Ashley”, Bella answered. Alice nodded, still deep in thought while searching for new visions.

     “He’s retreated for now”, she announced. “But he will come back.”

     “Any idea when?” Jasper asked her. She shook her head.

     “Nothing about that yet, but I’ll keep an eye on him.”

     Edward nodded and looked up at the sky.

     “We should make sure that everyone gets back to the house, so that we can think about what to do next”, he sighed. Jacob must’ve thought his answer back, as he darted into the woods while taking off his trousers and changing to his wolf-form. Edward darted the opposite way, followed by his three siblings. What concerned him now was that they might not be fast enough to get back to the three ones in the house.


	10. Chapter 10

     “You know, there is a lot of supernatural stuff in this world that no one has got a clue about”, Seth said while munching a super-deluxe-sandwich with several layers of ham, salad, tomatoes, chilli and chicken.

     “Except for those of you and the vampires?” Ashley said and raised an eyebrow.

     “Yep”, Seth answered. “’Course, I haven’t found out what other stuff there is as well, but now when we’re in England, perhaps I’ll head north after this and search for Nessie.”

     He grinned and Ashley smiled back at him. At the same time, Carlisle came walking down the stairs and sat down beside her.

     “The others are back in our house now”, he said. “As soon as Seth is finished, we’ll go there and talk to them.”

     “I’m sure that things will work out”, Seth said, taking another large bite. “I mean, with this kind of army on your side, there’s no way that that guy will get away.”

     Carlisle shuddered at the mentioning of an army. He didn’t want to look at his big family and the wolves as a war-machine. Ashley stroke his arm gently and smiled comfortingly.

     “Wow, you really are the perfect match!” Seth said and grinned. Ashley blushed.

     “Finish up now”, she muttered. Carlisle chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. Seth quickly put the last piece of the sandwich in his mouth.

     “’Right, shall we?”

     He gestured dramatically towards the door and Carlisle nodded, helping Ashley to rise even though there was no real reason for it. Except for that he cared deeply about her and wanted to feel her there.

     The others had already gathered in the living-room, which looked extremely crowded with all of the large boys that were the coven of wolves. Several of them fixed their eyes on Ashley when she walked in; they hadn’t met her before and were interested in seeing what kind of human that had mended Carlisle’s heart. Some of them grinned at her, but fell silent when Edward eyed them.

     “Carlisle, we didn’t get Raver last night”, he said, not wanting to wait. “We got fourteen of the newborns all in all, but Raver slipped away.”

     Carlisle nodded.

     “We need to keep guarding the house and the surroundings until we get him”, the boy that was Jacob continued. “We will split up in groups and make sure that the newborns and Raver are taken care of.”

     “I do not…”

     “Carlisle, I know”, Edward interrupted. “But if we do not get him and his gang, there will not be some kind of _happy ever after_ , and you know that.”

     Carlisle looked away.

     “Would it help if I was out there?” Ashley suddenly asked. All eyes turned towards her. Edward gritted his teeth towards Jasper.

     “Don’t…”

     “It might”, Jasper interrupted, ignoring the fact that Edward didn’t like the idea. “Bella put out a trail for the newborns to follow when an army like this was attacking back in Forks. It was a smart tactic.”

     “Raver is older and wiser than Victoria”, Edward hissed. “He will look past it and try and follow another scent that he knows will lead him to Ashley, if that’s what he wants.”

     “That should be Doc”, Seth said.

     “Bella, use your shield now”, Alice suddenly said. Everyone turned towards her, surprised.

     “Do it!” Alice exclaimed. Ashley thought that nothing happened, but something must have because Alice calmed down once again.

     “What did you see?” Carlisle asked.

     “Raver is on his way here”, Alice answered. “Alone; he’s killed all of the newborns.”

     “Why would he do that?” Jacob asked. “He had a good group of people following his lead!”

     “He didn’t find them useful after last night”, Alice answered. “He’s coming here to speak to us. But he won’t speak if we’re in here.”

     Edward nodded and rose.

     “We’ll go outside”, he said.

     “The wolves should position themselves around the area in case he attacks us, but Bella must be able to protect them”, Jasper continued. Alice nodded.

     “Yes, if that’s what we do, he will come here and tell us what he wants. He’ll be here in ten minutes.”

     There was a sudden movement in the room and everyone tried to get outside again. Some of the boys changed shape as soon as they got out the door and moved to take their positions, told by Jacob and the large, black wolf, Sam.

     The Cullens and Ashley positioned themselves in front of the house, all of them eying the forest. Ashley was never able to detect when he got there, suddenly he just stood there just outside the trees. She felt her heart race and the Cullens positioned themselves around her to protect her.

     “Carlisle, my son, I do not come here to fight you”, Raver said. “That was my intentions yesterday, yes, but no longer.”

     “Then what do you want, Raver?” Carlisle asked. Raver seemed surprise by the fact that he got a question in return instead of the usual agreement. Bella grinned.

     “Carlisle, you can no longer keep this family together”, Raver continued after a while. “The Volturi won’t let you.”


	11. Chapter 11

The Cullens were silent and Ashley felt questions running through her head. The Volturi? Who were they? _What_ were they?

     “Why won’t they let me?” Carlisle asked after a while, his voice as calm as usual. Raver fixed his gaze on Ashley.

     “If the Volturi had had their way with that girl, she would have been taken out a long time ago”, he said. “She was too interested, too curious about the vampires for her own good.”

     “They wanted to kill _me_?” Ashley asked, her voice merely a whisper.

     “Of course, and they would have done that if this… accident with Esme Cullen hadn’t occurred at first”, Raver answered and smiled grimly.

     “But you killed her”, Edward hissed. “Why?”

     “First of all, when I did that, I had no idea about the Volturi’s plans for this child. I killed Esme because of that I wanted Carlisle to be _normal_.”

     “He is normal!” Ashley exclaimed. “He is everything a man is supposed to be, unlike you! You are a murderer!”

     She wanted to continue, but she didn’t know what else to say. Even though she still didn’t like to think of Esme as her predecessor, she’d heard the Cullens talk about her in very kind ways. She had been an amazing woman and this horrible… man had killed her.

     Carlisle placed his arm around her shoulders and gave her a thankful smile.

     “A vampire like him is not _normal_ ”, Raver hissed. “He is a shame for our race, him and his family! I am very disappointed in how he turned out after I bit him. He was a hunter as a human, and look at him now; compassionate and weak!”

     Emmett growled and crouched down as if to spring forward and attack, Edward hissed at him to make him stop.

     “And those that you have raced yourself are just as weak!” Raver continued. “Weak cowards, a shame for the vampire-clan, you…”

     He was interrupted by Jacob, who’d rushed forward in his wolf-form and separated Raver’s body from his head. Ashley screamed and Carlisle quickly turned her away. The rest of the Cullens quickly sprung forward and helped Jacob rip the body to pieces. Carlisle, on the other hand, took Ashley in his arms and rushed away from the scene, far away into the woods once again.

     When he sat her down on the ground, her cheeks were wet with tears and she wasn’t quite sure if they were because of the scene she’d just witnessed or if it was because of the speed. Carlisle sank down in the grass in front of her and wrapped his arms around her.

     “I’m so sorry”, he whispered. She didn’t answer, she just leaned against his cold chest and cried.

     “I shouldn’t have let you seen that”, Carlisle said. “I shouldn’t have let you been there.”

     “Carlisle, stop”, Ashley mumbled and wiped away the tears. “Stop blaming yourself for everything.”

     She straightened up and looked at him.

     “Even if you’d told me not to, I would have been there.”

     “Then I should have taken you far away from there, from Raver, made sure that you were safe”, Carlisle said. Ashley shook her head.

     “You couldn’t have done that”, she said. “Raver wanted to talk to, or insult, you. If you’d tried to get me away from there before he was there, he would have followed us, right? He would have been able to follow your scent.”

     Carlisle looked at her in silence before he carefully wiped away one of her last tears with his thumb.

     “I love you so much, Ashley”, he whispered. She smiled at him.

     “I love you too.”

     He slowly leaned forward and touched her forehead with his and Ashley closed her eyes. She could feel his cold breath on her skin and both her breathing and pulse speed up. Though she wasn’t able to see it, she could imagine Carlisle’s smile when he noticed.

     Then his lips met hers.

* * *

It was all over the newspapers the next day. _Famous business-man Carl Raver missing, no clues have been found_. Ashley threw the paper aside, shuddering as she thought about the fact that Raver would never return to her father’s side. She wondered how he would take it; after all they had been partners for a long time now.

     The answer came when she turned on the television. Her father’s face filled the screen and even though he might seem quite ordered to most people, Ashley noticed the lines around her father’s mouth that indicated how stressed he was.

     “We put our trust in the police and hope that Mr Raver will return soon”, he said in a short tone.

     “Mr Tyler, if Raver does not return, who will take his place?” one of the journalists asked. Ashley groaned; how could someone ask that right now? Her father needed to at least hope that he would not be in charge of finding someone else!

     “I will not discuss that question”, Mr Tyler said sharply and continued to walk through the crowd of flashing cameras and microphones.

     “You cannot tell him the truth, Ashley”, Carlisle said. He had silently come down the stairs and now stood behind her.

     “I know”, she answered and turned off the screen. “I just feel bad for him. He is so stressed right now and those questions won’t exactly help him.”

     Carlisle nodded and sat down next to her on the couch.

     “What do you want to do today?” he asked after a while. Ashley blinked in surprise.

     “Carlisle, I have school in less than two hours, remember?”

     The blond vampire smiled and kissed the top of her head.

     “The sun will be out today”, he mumbled while still resting his cold lips on her dark hair. She tried to keep breathing. Obviously he noticed, because he chuckled softly.

     “How about we take the day off?” he continued. Ashley swallowed.

     “Carlisle, I can’t pretend to be sick”, she managed to say. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

     “You don’t have to”, he said. “Your father’s in a bit of a crisis and maybe you should be with him during this day.”

     Ashley frowned.

     “The last thing he would want me to do is to skip… oh…”

     She suddenly realised that Carlisle had known already that her father would not want her to be away from school because of him, but that she could tell the principal that she was with him. Not with Carlisle.

     “Maybe I should… call the school and tell them I’ll be away”, she said and smiled. Carlisle smiled back and watched her as she picked up her phone.

     “Mr Jeffrey? Hi, this is Ashley Tyler… yes, I’m fine, but I need to be away for today… yes… well, he is quite stressed right now… no, I agree… yes… thank you.”

     Carlisle smiled as she hung up and she knew that he had already heard the entire conversation with Mr Jeffrey and there was no need to tell him again.

     “Well, now that that’s done… what shall we do?” she asked. To her surprise, he picked her up in his arms and brought her outside.

     “I was thinking of a little picnic in the sun”, he said and ran with her towards the forest. She curled up against his chest and smiled as the trees flew by.


	12. Chapter 12

“Carlisle, this is beautiful!”

     She stared at the small clearing with the pond hidden deep within the forest. There was a blanket spread out next to the water and on it was a small basket of food. For her, she assumed, as he did not eat anything. Carlisle smiled at her, still standing in the shadow of the trees as she walked over to the pond and sat down on the blanket.

     “I wanted it to be perfect”, he admitted as he walked over to her. His skin sparkled in the sunlight and she could not believe that this God walking the earth could love her. He sat down next to her and kissed her, sending shivers down her spine.

* * *

Ashley forgot all about time and space for the hours to come. All that existed was her and Carlisle in this amazing clearing, far away from everything that could possibly disturb them.

     Carlisle did not make a move to take her home before the sun started to sink behind the trees. Then he rose from the blanket where they’d been lying for the past hours and helped her rise as well. She smiled at him as he started to lead her towards the forest, obviously intending not to pick her up before they reached the trees and therefore making this wonderful day last even longer.

     On the way they passed a place in the clearing where the sun’s rays were still able to find the ground. There he suddenly stopped her.

     “Ashley.”

     She looked at his glistening face and noticed how solemn he was.

     “Ashley, I know this might be the wrong time for you to answer this, considering what has happened to you and your family lately, but I want you to think about it for as long as you need.”

     She blinked and nodded. To her surprise, he knelt down in front of her.

     “Ashley Tyler, will you marry me?”

     For a few moments she just stared at him. He slowly rose once again, looking deep into her eyes.

     “As I said, I want you to think about it, as this might not be the best of times to…”

     “I will”, she whispered and blinked so that she would not cry. Carlisle fell silent.

     “I want to marry you, Carlisle”, Ashley managed to say as the tears of joy started to roll down her cheeks. The smile on Carlisle’s face was one that she would remember for the rest of her life. He then bent his head down and kissed her, lifting her up in his arms and spinning her around as he did.

     “I love you so much, Carlisle”, she whispered as they finally broke the kiss. He just smiled, before he pulled up a small box from his pocket. In it lay a small ring. To most people it would not be anything special; a simple silver-ring with a small diamond. But to Ashley it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever owned.

     As Carlisle carefully put it on and then kissed her hand, his skin sparkling in the last rays of the sun, Ashley could not believe that she was awake. It was as if she was dreaming the best dream she’d ever had and she never wanted it to end.

     But one thing she had to find out before her happiness would be complete.

     “Carlisle, will you turn me? Into a vampire?”

     He silently studied her, his cold hand carefully wiping away one of the last tears from her cheek.

     “In a few years, when others might find it more… appropriate”, he said after a while. “But only if that is what you really want, Ashley. I would never do it otherwise.”

     Ashley nodded. That made perfect sense as she was currently looking like she was of the same age as his adoptive children.

     “I could never imagine a life without you, Carlisle”, she said. “And if I have to wait to get it, I will.”

     He smiled and kissed her forehead.

     “The healer of my broken heart”, he whispered, before he let his lips touch hers again. And in that moment she felt complete.


End file.
